Signs Of The Times*

*All images courtesy of AP Images.

Ahh, CPAC is upon us. And no, they say that doesn't stand for Conservatives Pissing Away Capitalism. But whatever the case may be, luminaries greater and lesser have gathered in New Jersey to discuss that fine state's important political race and the future of the party. One can only hope that the dead wood is being pruned, hacked, and unceremoniously thrown into the proverbial flames without mercy before it consumes the rest of the Grand Old Party. I'd still say she's got good roots worth saving.

And I also think many others would agree with that notion and know that powerful leadership is needed. And now. Significantly, Steele is usually viewed as an outsider, and if so, one who has the perspective to change the party. I guess we will see just how effective he is as he takes the spotlight. What is clear is that he cannot do it alone, and regular conservatives who are manning the less visible posts in the party will have to step up and take a few chances. Change is going to be excruciatingly painful, but this meeting has been put off for far too long and 2012 is approaching more quickly than we would like to think. I believe the question should be asked, just how is it that the conservative party of the nation loses so pathetically when so many of her citizens are still considered to be solidly center-right?

In other news, Bernie Madoff's wicked scheme claims another well known celebrity of the this-shouldn't-be-happening-to-you sort in the figure of Elie Wiesel. And oh yes, the coffers of his charitable foundation, The Elie Wiesel Foundation For Humanity, as well. No wonder CNN reports him branding Madoff as "one of the greatest scoundrels, thieves, liars, [and] criminals" in history, one that he cannot personally forgive. . .Maybe it's just me, but coming from a man who painstakingly learned to make his peace with the universe after gazing deeply into its coldest, cruelest, and darkest parts, I think that's saying something.

Also of note, Daniel Pearl's father Judea Pearl reports that university students are fond of sending him death threats that police do seemingly nothing about. You might recall that his son was kidnapped and murdered by al Qaeda in Pakistan back in 2002 while reporting as a journalist. No word yet on whether or not this is a strange affliction presenting itself only at UCLA, or also a disease cropping up elsewhere in that far-left petri dish that ferments into all kinds of enlightened lunacy and generally is referred to in strangely positive tones as California. Ahh, California. There is not enough space in the limitless World Wide Web to blog about you. . .

In other anti-Semitic news, Bishop Richard Williamson has apologized for denying the Holocaust. Well, that is if by apologize you mean sending out a begrudging mea culpa for embarrassing the Catholic Church and irritating the Jewish people, but again, mostly for hurting the Catholic Church. Please, somebody realize that this alter kocker can no longer open his mouth without insulting respectable people of faith, and that independent of whether or not they belong to his particular religious persuasion. Maybe he just shouldn't be involved in any prominent discussions of any kind wherein he represents his faith. Ever.

Finally, we note that the ACLU is helping illegal aliens know their "rights" while breaking our law of sovereignty and entering this free and generally welcoming country to leech our resources and generally cause havoc. Strangely, the instructions appear in English. Yikes. I'm all for immigration and immigration reform--meaning a much more streamlined process from the obviously inadequate and stifling one we have now--but this is ridiculous.

UPDATE: Joe Biden gets a second helping of humble pie through that wonder of wonders, the inter-web thingy.

The Sorry State of Things*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

Temporarily nationalize a handful of our banks?! Absolutely crazy. Nuts. Completely out of touch with what is good for America, let alone the average American--especially in the long run. Does he think that the government will let go of this increased influence after we eventually accept our loss of integrity and feign the confidence to look ourselves in the mirror with anything even approximating pride? In my mind, Greenspan has just lost all credibility. No wonder Glenn Beck thinks we are on the low road to socialism.

Goodbye, Pakistan*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

The capacity to worship without fear of punishment--as pictured with the woman above--may be a thing of the past as Pakistan sells out its citizens and yields to terrorists. What a sad way to lose a country. And this is the end.

UPDATE: Here is the brilliant Mark Steyn and his troubling take on how close this issue really is to the modern, reasonable world.

Peres Picks*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

President Shimon Peres today flexed his ceremonial might and picked Netanyahu to forge a strong coalition government for Israel. And while I may not agree with some of Netanyahu's stances, he certainly seems iron-willed enough to get the job done. The question is whether or not so many interests will come together for unity. My guess is that they will--eventually, and rather because they perceive the pressing need for security. Greater detail on this task of king-making is available at FoxNews and The Jerusalem Post.

And just as a cursory analysis, I might also note that in the latter link Livni is reportedly already branding Netanyahu an extremist. Yikes. What's the Hebrew phrase for "Poor-Text-Messaging-Loser" or "Sheesh, the honeymoon is finished like last year's Passover"? Really. Must every country have an Al Gore, or is this just something every Left or Center-Left party cannot seem to do without? Not classy, I must say.

Furthermore, Livni is also claiming that her party carries the "alternative of hope," a line that should sound so very familiar to us. Not to be overly harsh, but perhaps she should go back to being a lonely Mossad agent, living out her painful choice of exile in dismal Paris under the disappointed gaze of her father--at least then, one has to keep grousing to oneself to be taken seriously.

In other news, at least Abbas has pledged to get along with Netanyahu's government given some caveats about settlements. . .I suppose time will tell whether Peres made the right decision.

Acting? I Hope Not*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

Umm, hilarious. Well done for Mr. Phoenix--Letterman looked like he was going to blow his stack after about two and a half minutes.

In other current news, a Gallup survey finds that only stupid, religious people don't believe in Darwin's Theory of Evolution--apparently almost 25%. Personally, I don't always believe in statistical polling methods, especially when 36% of those surveyed didn't really indicate a preference. . .Could it be that the questions simplified a fairly complex issue still being debated. . .or that many did not want to act or look foolish in front of a professional surveyor? My bet is on the last option.

Finally, the GOP is rightly stepping up--hopefully for real, this time--to throw down over the very likely unconstitutional Obama / Rahm Emanuel 2010 Census power grab mentioned earlier in this blog. How unusual to find so many Republicans with a rigid backbone. . .maybe 2012 won't be so bad after all.

Next Year In Jerusalem*

*All images courtesy of AP Images.

With the tremendous uncertainty faced by Americans at this point in our history, it is little wonder that further upheaval in the Middle East tends to create a peculiar nauseousness that even the hardest political wonks are wont to relieve into the closest ballot box. Really, there is so much change that one wonders if anything recognizable will be left. But gastric perturbations and voter regret aside, difficult decisions must be made, here and in Israel. Clearly, the nature of future American power and Israeli security are on the line.

So if you haven't heard yet, elections in the latter country have largely been tallied and the winner is ambiguous at best with Livni taking 28 seats in the Knesset and Netanyahu coming in closely behind with 27--in other words, each will have to scramble to extract a working coalition from a very disparate set of interests after President Shimon Peres decides who can best lead in the midst of a growing nuclear threat from Iran and unending rocket attacks from Hamas. Add in the gushing overtures of peace by the Obama administration in answer to Iranian flexing, and a reasonable resolution to the Middle East conflict seems more uncertain now than ever before.

Significantly, some view Netanyahu as an experienced, ultra-right hawk who will not cede an inch of Israeli soil--a sure bet for further conflict in the region--while Livni is generally viewed as a center-left devotee of peacemaking interests with the backbone to wage a war with Hamas, if not Iran. Really, who knows?

I am not sure Netanyahu is the irrational burr under Obama's saddle that he is usually described to be, or that Livni would have the guts to stand up militarily to at least two major enemies while under pressure from our own Commander-in-Chief. Both popular analyses seem to take considerable comfort in nailing down just two variables in a very complex political environment. We might be wise to remember that these politicians are not static factors, but cunning, creative individuals with a very personal stake in the problems at hand. Each could surprise us.

Whatever philosophy ultimately wins out in the end, some have suggested a power sharing scheme might be best. Maybe this will happen. And maybe indecision is the worst possible scenario right now for Israel. What is certain is that unified purpose and gritty determination are desperately needed if Israelis are to maintain their way of life. No one else can perform that task for them. I hope they commit wholeheartedly to whatever they choose as firm support from even America may not be forthcoming under the current administration. And that's unfortunate, to say the least.

On the home front, everyone's favorite Enforcer of Al Capone Style Politics--Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel--is reportedly looking to take over Census duties from the supposedly inept Commerce Department. Savvy Republicans such as Rep. Jason Chaffetz and Rep. Rob Bishop of Utah are rightly protesting this blatant attempt at wholesale gerrymandering. Can you recall such an obvious partisan power grab? The chutzpah of the whole thing. And have I mentioned that these next four years are going to drag on like mandatory bed rest with nothing to do but toil through arcane calculus problems with only an abacus short a few beads? Perhaps that is overstating the nature of our circumstances, but not by much. Sheesh.

In other news, creepy-terrorist-turned-equally-creepy-professor Bill Ayers mocked Sarah Palin with a post-election suggestion for a joint talk show. Maybe he should have offered the reality show "Bill Ayers' Detention in Gitmo: The Early Years." What an absolute loser. And why haven't we put him through the full list of judicial services available in this country? President Obama would be wise to continue putting distance between himself and Ayers. . .and Rev. Wright. . .and Blagojevich. . .and, well, the list goes down pretty deep into the black heart of Chicago politics. I suppose it's a good thing Number 44 has loaded his privileged White House press corps with so many far left disciples of hope.

DEPRESSING NEWS: Some poor rancher in Arizona strangely finds himself in a legal battle after turning in some low life illegal aliens. And this after suffering damages to his property and a break-in at his home. I hope this ends much sooner than it did for those two long-suffering border patrol agents recently set loose by "W." By the way, he's being slapped for $32 Million.

MORE DEPRESSING NEWS: A-Rod and Michael Phelps act like morons and damage their nearly perfect athletic bodies and reputations for vanity, stupidity, or some pre-Galilean view of the universe in which each is the axis of a constellation composed of other laudatory but lesser bits of celestial material. Of course, it could be a combination of all three. The consequences of the entitlement culture so ingrained in the world of sports, I suppose.

The Pope Has An Opportunity Here*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

Should Bishop Richard Williamson have been allowed back into the Catholic Church by the Pope? Probably yes, if only for the fact that Christians believe in mercy and this guy obviously hasn't got the brain power to make any sort of rational decisions on his own. He needs help.

Should he get his job back? Most definitely not. For any set of circumstances. Perhaps he could usher at a humble church somewhere after making sure the bathrooms are clean. On second thought, maybe he better just stick to the custodial duties. . .

Well done to Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany for making the phone call. The Holocaust most certainly did happen, and this schlemiel shouldn't be put back into a position of power where he can spread his small-minded garbage. The sooner the Pope drops him, the better it will be for the Catholic church.

Jimmy Carter Is Smiling*

*All Images courtesy of AP Images.

Oi vey it has been a long week. As the delightfully acerbic R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. over at "The American Spectator" has astutely noted, the first month of President Obama's administration is strangely feeling more and more like that dismal display of incompetence we refer to as The Carter Administration. And by that, I mean the elected one, not the holy mantle he has so selflessly donned as Mediator of All Things Middle East. Granted, there are four years to go in this administration, four very long years. But early events do not seem promising. Is it too soon to think Romney-Palin for 2012? Perhaps these intervening years will provide all the training and executive experience they need.

In any case, here is a very disturbing video provided by Neil Cavuto of FoxNews fame:

This comes as the Honorable Susan J. Crawford has dropped charges against the suspect accused of bombing the USS Cole. Some might argue that she is just doing her job as this all relates to closing down Guantanamo by executive order. They would also be wrong. Judges can and often do cause quite a stink in taking a moral stand on one issue or another when administering the true intent of the law. And in case this administration has forgotten, that law exists to keep us safe and preserve our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Absolutely frightening.

Not to belabor the point, but it might also be said that the only honorable person here is this courageous mother who refused an invitation to sit down with the President. That takes guts and moral sense, traits becoming increasingly and bizarrely absent from this administration.

Interestingly enough, in related news also courtesy of FoxNews, Bret Baier reports that the President has organized a team to get rid of that pesky "War on Terror" phrase. They want something nicer, less scary, more evocative of the President's, shall we say, delicious hope filling to the angel food cake that is life. Absurdity aside, reasonable people should rightly be outraged that he is treating the most dangerous threat to American ideals, culture, and freedoms as a crass PR event. This is absolute craziness of the highest order, and anyone involved in this ought to be ashamed. One can only assume that the goals of this administration are not quite as lofty as once supposed.

Other craziness? Of course. Mitt Romney gets in a fantastic dig at the lunacy of the current behemoth of a stimulus package under consideration--namely, that he suggested $233 Billion last year and was seen as a fool. If only we had listened. The current package is a bloated conglomerate of asinine government waste that will do little to stimulate the economy. So much so, in fact, that "National Review" recently festooned their website with the obvious oinkers as a bit of gallows humor. It seems we are going to have considerable digging out to do in the coming months.

ENCOURAGING NEWS: After Hamas steals a load of supplies meant for beleaguered Palestinians, an awakened UN furrows its sacrosanct brow and suspends shipments. I love that the rest of the world refuses to agree with Israel. . .until the cards are most obviously on the table, and sometimes not even then.

AGGRAVATING NEWS: The FDA asserts that Peanut Corporation of America knew of tainted peanut products before they were shipped and caused the salmonella outbreak that has sickened nearly 500 and likely killed at least 8. These people are criminals, harsh charges should be brought against them, and punishment should be strenuously applied.

HEARTWARMING NEWS: Joe Biden eats some well deserved crow.